Determinants of adoption of food safety practices among clam sellers in Kpong and Atimpoku, Ghana

The food safety practices used by clam merchants in Kpong and Atimpoku, Ghana, pose a risk to public health. The study sought to identify factors affecting food safety practices, obstacles to their implementation, and ways of improving them to avoid food-borne infections and promote sustainable practices and development among clam sellers in Kpong and Atimpoku, Ghana. The cross-sectional survey combined purposive and random sampling methods. Sixty-three clam merchants were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. Response bias and generalizability to other Ghanaian regions form the study's limitations. Utility maximizing is used to examine how clam vendors adopt food safety procedures. The discrete choice logit model is used to identify food safety decision-making elements. The study examines the extent and significance of relationships between independent factors such as public health officer visits and formal access to credit. The utility maximization paradigm helped to explain clam dealers' food safety measures in Ghana. The study found that age and household size influence worker's decisions to cover clams and wear clean aprons or not. Credit and income-generating activities encourage the wearing of clean aprons. Public health officer visits, clam selling association membership, selling hours per day, availability to finance, and household size on the other hand affect food safety measures when diarrhoea strikes. It is therefore concluded that credit and household size promote better clam seller hygiene. Therefore to promote food safety, policy-makers and stakeholders should offer support, education, and training. This study adds to the literature and emphasizes the significance of food safety standards to safeguard customers and public health.